The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream

A mesmerizing narrative about the rise and fall of an unlikely international crime boss. Based on hundreds of interviews, Patrick Radden Keefe's sweeping narrative tells the story not only of Sister Ping, but of the gangland gunslingers who worked for her, the immigration and law enforcement officials who pursued her, and the generation of penniless immigrants who risked death and braved a 17,000 mile odyssey so that they could realize their own version of the American dream.

Chatter: Dispatches from the Secret World of Global Eavesdropping

In Chatter, Patrick Radden Keefe investigates the international eavesdropping alliance known as Echelon, sorting facts from conspiracy theories to determine just how much privacy Americans unknowingly sacrifice in the name of greater security.

The New Yorker, September 28th 2015 (Patrick Radden Keefe, David Remnick, David Sedaris)

In this issue: "Dinner Talk", by Evan Osnos; "The Avenger", by Patrick Radden Keefe; "Blood at the Root", by David Remnick; "A Modest Proposal", by David Sedaris; and "Highs and Lows", by Anthony Lane.

In this issue: "Obama the Conservationist" by Elizabeth Kolbert; "The Secret Life of Plants" by Ariel Levy; "The New Harpoon" by Tom Kizzia; "Young Guns" by Patrick Radden Keefe; "Family Matters" by Anthony Lane.

The Snakehead: The All-American Story of How a Chinatown Grandmother Built an International Smuggling Empire

The Snakehead is a panoramic tale of international intrigue and a dramatic portrait of the underground economy in which America's 12 million illegal immigrants live. Based on hundreds of interviews, Patrick Radden Keefe's sweeping narrative tells the story not only of Sister Ping, but of the gangland gunslingers who worked for her, the immigration and law enforcement officials who pursued her, and the generation of penniless immigrants who risked death and braved a 17,000 mile odyssey so that they could realize their own version of the American dream.

In this issue: "Paging Dr. Carson", by Amy Davidson; "By a Hair", by Charles Bethea; "Oliver Sacks", by Atul Gawande; "The Worst of the Worst", by Patrick Radden Keefe; and "Body Count", by Kelefa Sanneh.

The New Yorker, February 8, 2010 (Patrick Radden Keefe, John McPhee, Paul Goldberger)

"Sparrin' Words", by Hendrik Hertzberg; "J. D. Salinger", by Adam Gopnik; "Bearable", by Lillian Ross; "A Night at the Movies", by John Seabrook; "The Trafficker", by Patrick Radden Keefe; "The Patch", by John McPhee; and "Castle in the Air", by Paul Goldberger.

Chatter: Dispatches from the Secret World of Global Eavesdropping

In the late 1990s, when Keefe was a graduate student in England, he heard stories about an eavesdropping network led by the United States that spanned the planet. The system, known as Echelon, allowed America and its allies to intercept the private phone calls and e-mails of civilians and governments around the world.

The New Yorker, February 11th & 18th 2013: Part 2 (Patrick Radden Keefe, James Surowiecki, David Denby)

"A Call to Action", by James Surowiecki; "After A-jad", by Nicholas Schmidle; "Going to Eleven", by Nick Paumgarten; "A Loaded Gun", by Patrick Radden Keefe; and "David Denby", by The Last Picture Show.

The New Yorker (September 3 & 10, 2007): Part 1

"The Lobby", by David Remnick; "Escapism Express", by Ben McGrath; "High-Water Marks", by Rebecca Mead; "The Unfriendly Skies", by James Surowiecki; "The Jefferson Bottles", by Patrick Radden Keefe; "Screwed Up", by Nancy Franklin; "Travelling Man", by Sasha Frere-Jones; "Eastern, Western", by David Denby